Bay Group Seeks Better Accuracy In Its Report

The partnership coordinating cleanup of the Chesapeake had been criticized for inadequate assessments.

A draft annual report gauging the health of the Chesapeake Bay and the status of restoration work seeks to more accurately measure the limited strides made toward 2010 cleanup goals.

The Chesapeake Bay Program -- a partnership of local, state and federal agencies created in 1983 -- revamped its annual report after the U.S. Government Accountability Office criticized past reports for not adequately assessing progress. It released a draft of the report Friday.

The program's partners have spent about $4 billion over the past 10 years to reduce pollution, restore aquatic habitats, manage fisheries and protect watersheds.

Experts predict that a $15 billion investment will be needed to truly clean the bay, even as the federal government has backed away from prospective financing commitments.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the region's largest environmental group, was among the critics of past reports. Spokesman Chuck Epes said the draft was comparable to similar reports published by the foundation.

"It's useful for government to acknowledge the true conditions in the bay," Epes said. "You don't know where to go until you know where you are."

In general, the report pretty much says what bay advocates have been saying for several years.

"There's a lot being done, but there's a lot more to do," said Chris Conner, spokesman for the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Conner said program officials were seeking public comments on the draft from residents and scientists to find out whether the report should be tweaked.

The draft assesses the bay health's and restoration efforts separately.

The partners have undertaken about half the efforts needed to reduce nutrient pollution and are about 40 percent of the way toward habitat-restoration goals. The report noted progress toward protecting watersheds but said officials lacked a measure for sprawl reduction. *

READ THE REPORT

Go to www.chesapeakebay.net /assess to read a draft report released by the Chesapeake Bay Program. It reviews the bay's health and the status of restoration efforts.